Letter-copier



s sheets-Sheet 1. E. W. WIOKEY.

(No Model.)

LETTER. 0021113. No. 455,823..

Paten ted July 14,1891.

(No Model.) 3 sheets esheet 2.

E. W. WICKEY.

LETTER GOPIER.

No. 455,823. Patented July 14,1891.

gqe s I v 3 sheets -sheet 3.

E. W. WIUKEY. LETTER UOPIER.

(No Model.)

Patented July 14,1891.

llrll i STATES NITED EDWARD w. WIOKEY,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LETTER-iCOPlER,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 455,823, dated July 14,1891. Application filed October 3, 1890- Serial No. 366,971. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD W. WIoKEY, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain Im- PlOVGlIlGIllIS in Letter-Copiers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a machine for copying letters by passing thesame in contact with thin copying-paper between rollers adapted bysuitable means to moisten the thin copying-paper, and also to press. thesame and theletter tightly together, and thereby take a wet copy of thelatter.

Said invention consists more particularly in certain improvements insaid moistening and pressing devices, which will be clearly set forthand described, and the advantages thereby gained will be stated in ageneral way below.

The machinein which I prefer to embody my improvements is shown in thedrawings presented herewith, wherein' Figure 1 is a side elevation ofthe same; Fig. 2, a vertical transverse section in line 2 2 of Fig. 1,and Fig. 3 a detail side view of cer tain parts hidden by the frame ofthe machine in Fig. 1.

In letter-copiers of the class towhich this machine belongs it hasheretofore beencustomary to copy the letters upon tissue-paper suppliedto the machine in the form of a roll mounted therein and passed throughthe same by the operation thereof, first being carried through asuitable bath in which it is supposed to be properly moistened, thenwrung out by suitable wringers, and afterward passed, together with theletter to be copied, between pressure-rollers, and delivered from thelatter beneath a suitable knife or cutter, by means of which the portionof the tissue paper which bears the copy of the letter may be detached.

In constructing these machines great difficulty has been encounteredfirst in the construction of a suitable pressing device that will give aconvenient, easily-adjustable, and perfectly even pressure upon theletter and the tissue-paper in contact therewith. Furthermore, it willbe noticed from the above general description that there is more or lessnecessary waste of paper because the paper itself is passed through themoistening-bath, thence through a wringing device, and finally to thepressin g-rollers, Where it meets the letter to be copied. Now it isapparent that when these machines are not used for a short time all thatportion of the paper between the bath and the pressure-roller willbecome dry,

and when it is again necessary to use the machine. such paper must berun through before the letter is inserted, and thrown away in order tobring the moist tissue-paper suit able forco pyingto thepressure-rollers. Again, it is necessary, to insure a clear copy, topass the letter through the machine rather slowly, which gives time forthe tissue-paper to dry out more or less during the copying, which ofcourse is a serious detriment and renders it impossible to take aperfect copy from an old letter in which the ink has had time to dry. Itis my purpose to remove all these difficulties, and in addition theretoto produce a machine that shall be more simple, durable, and more easilyput together or taken apart and handled than any that have heretoforebeen constructed.

Describing the preferred form of said machine from the drawings, bymeans of reference -letters applied to the various parts thereof, thesame letters in the different figures indicating like parts, A is theframe of the machine, carrying at a a roll of copyingpaper, which passesup over a-roller Ct to the table 0?, upon which the letters are laid,and thence to the moistening and pressing devices. The former consistsin its general form of a roller provided with means for pressing thecopying-paper firmly and evenly upon its surface and having said surfacecovered with a suitable absorbing material passed at some point througha moistening device adapted to give to said material such an amount ofmoisture as may be necessary to produce the desired copy. I prefer,however, to construct this inoistening device as shown in the drawin gs,and it consists therein of a belt or ribbon B, passing over rollers b b12 all journaled in a frame If", swinging-inside of the frame of themachine upon pins a supported by the latter. The shafts upon which therollers b b are mounted pass at one end through the frame of the machineand outside thereof carry the gears I) b of equal size. In position tomesh in the passage of the same.

with these gears, a gear a, turned by a handle a is mounted upon a pinsupported by the frame of the machine, preferably one of the pins of,extended through said frame. The roller I), carried by the dependingportion of the frame 6 is immersed in a vessel 0 containing water and ispreferably mounted in the frame, so as to be vertically movable thereinagainst a slight downward pressure, which may be its own gravity, or, inaddition thereto, a light spring I), as shown in the drawings. Saidroller is here seen as journaled in a square block IF, sliding up anddown in a slot Z2 in the frame 11 and is geared to the roller Z) at theright in Fig. 2 by a belt b running over pulleys b b rigid with therollers 17 b, of which the latter b is a trifle larger than the former19*. The frame 19 is shown as carried upon the pins a by means of agroove b", which enables it to be easily placed in position or liftedtherefrom.

The frame of the machine upon the side where the gears b b are locatedis cut away at a a to allow the shafts which carry said gears to beplaced in position and to give the shafts plenty of room when the frameI) swings upon the pins va The frame 6 carries at the left a projectingarm 17 in which the roller b is journaled by means of a block 19adjustable in said arm to or from the roller b by means of a thumb-screwZ). The roller Z) bears around its surface spiral grooves b, running inboth directions from the middle of said roller to its ends and arrangedto travel in said directions when the machine is operated.

Above the rollers 1) b and in position to press downward between thesame, a roller D is mounted in the upper portion of the frame of themachine, which portion of the frame is. preferably hinged to the mainportion at one side, as shown at a, and'connected at the other side by asuitable latch or lock ing device a so that by releasing the latter thisportion of the frame, together with the roller D, may be swung upwardclear from the rollers beneath it and the swinging frame which carriesthem, to enable the latter to be lifted out 'of the machine.

The roller D is shown as journaled in a square block a sliding up anddown in a groove a in the frame A and pressed downward by means of a camor eccentric E, provided with a handle e and itself pivoted to a squareblock a, sliding in the groove a and adjustable up or down by means ofthe thumbscrew a carried in the frame of the machine. Extending to theright in Fig. 1 is seen the bed a, upon which the copies are delivered,and which carries a roller a to aid A cutter a is also shown as mountedthereon to sever the portion of the copying-paper upon which the copy ismade from the continuous strip.

In operating this machine the handle a is turned backward. This is initself an important improvement, because these machines are necessarilylocated at some convenient position in an office where they are seen byevery one who comes in, and, being something of a novelty to those whohave long been. accustomed to the use of the ordinary letterpress,nearly every one upon seeing them is struck with a desire to witnesstheir operation, and invariably commences turning the handle a in thedirection in which such handles are usually turned. If, as is customary,this is the proper direction to operate the machine, a greater or lessamount of copying-paper is passed through the latter and wasted. Byarranging said handle as shown, however, such persons will merely turnthe machine backward, neither doing any harm thereto nor causing anywaste of material. Turning said handle in the proper direction, the beltB is carried downward from the roller 19 in Fig. 1 to the roller 1),where it becomes thoroughly wet by the waterin the vessel C, and thenceup to the roller 1), where it is wrung out to the proper degree ofmoisture by the adjustable roller 1), after which it meets thecopying-paper and the letter thereon, and all three are carried togetherbetween the rollers b b and the roller D, the belt giving up a portionof its moisture to the copying-paper in contact therewith, and theletter being firmly pressed down upon said paper by the roller D, so asto make a perfectcopythereon. The pressure of this roller D is adjustedby the thumb-screws a, and may be quickly appliedor relieved by means ofthe cam-lever E. The belt B is continuously in contact with thecopying-paper from the moment the latter passes between the rollers 19 1until it emerges from between the rollers D 19 This, while preferable,is not absolutely necessary, as the belt 13 might pass merely around theroller 1) and from there down to the roller 19; but if it were thuspressure of the roller D upon the rollers 19 b is equalized by the frameIf, which is pivoted at a point substantially equidistant from the axesof the rollers 19 b and thus obviates the necessity of any independentadjustment for the latter rollers. It is not absolutely necessary thatthe roller Z) should be mounted in the pivoted frame 19 as the saidrollermight -be journaled directly in the frame ofthe ma.-

chine, the mounting of the two rollers b b in a balanced frame beingsufficient to'equaliz'e the pressure of the roller D thereon; but it ispreferable to have all three rollers journaled in the same frame, asthey can then be all removed by lifting such frame out of the frame ofthe machine. The belt B, as it passes about the roller b, is kept wellstretched laterally by the spiral grooves about the latter, which isrotated by the belt b soas to revolve more rapidly-than the belt Bpasses over its surface, which causes the spiral grooves to tend to drawthe belt B both ways from the middle.

In the machine above described the moistening and pressing devices arecombined.

This is not, however, absolutely necessary, and I do not limit mydifferent improvements to a combination with any specific devices,except as defi nitely pointed out in the claims appended hereto. Saidimprovements may be used either together or separately in connectionwith any appropriate supplementary devices.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In acopying-machine, a paper-moistening device consisting of a belt ofabsorbent material passed about three rollers, one of which is immersedin asuitable bath and the other two removed therefrom and mounted upon aframe pivoted in the frame of the machine at a point substantiallyequidistant from the axes of said two rollers, and a device adapted topress the paper upon both of said two rollers.

, 2. In a copying-machine, a paper-moistening device consisting of abelt of absorbent material passing about three rollers, one of which isimmersed in a suitable bath and the other two removed therefrom andmounted. upon a frame pivoted to the frame of the machine at a pointsubstantially equidistant from the axes of said two rollers, and apressure-roller mounted in the frame of the machine and adapted to bearupon both of said two rollers, substantially as described.

3. In a copying-machine, a paper-moistening device comprising a belt ofabsorbent material carried by a moistening-roller immersed in asuitablebath and two pressurerollers removed therefrom, all of saidrollers being mounted in a swinging frame pivoted to the frame of themachine at a point substantially equidistantfrom said pressure-rollers,and a third pressure-roller mounted in the frame of the machine with itssurface bearing upon said two pressure-rollers, substantially asdescribed.

at. In a paper-moistening device for lettercopiers, the combination ofthe belt B, carried by the three rollers b h 6 mounted in the pivotedframe 12 the wringingroller Z7 adjustably mounted in the said frame, andthe roller D, mounted in the frame of the machine, Where it bears uponthe rollers b b and provided with means for adjusting its pressurethereon, substantially as described.

5. In a paper-moistening device for lettercopiers, a belt of absorbingmaterial carried by rollers, one of which is provided with means forpressing the copying-paper evenly thereon and the other has upon itssurface spiral grooves 6 traveling from an intermediate point in bothdirections to its ends, substantially as described.

6. In combination with the frame of the machine, the rollerl), mountedin said frame,

the pivoted frame b carrying the rollers 1)" b and the spirally-groovedroller 1), the belt B, and the wringing-roller I), also mounted in saidpivoted frame and provided Withmeans for adjusting its pressure,substantially as described. I

7; The combination of the frame of the machine, the roller D, mountedtherein, the swinging frame 12 pivoted to the frame of the machine, therollers b b I), carried by said swinging frame, the latter having thespiral grooves b and being journaled in the block W, sliding'up and downin the slot 19 the beltB, and the roller I), provided with means foradjusting its pressure, substantially as described.

S. The combination of the frame of the machine, the roller D, mountedtherein, the swinging frame b pivoted to the frameof the machine, therollers 12 b I), carried by said swinging frame, the latter having thespiral grooves b and being journaled in the block W, sliding up and downin the slot b the belt B, and the roller I), mounted in sliding blocksZ2 adjustable by means of the screws Z9 substantially as described.

9. The combination of the frame of the machine, the roller D, mountedtherein, the swinging frame 19 pivoted to the frame of the machine, therollers Z9 b I), carried by said swinging frame, the latter beingmounted in the blocks 6 sliding 'up and down in the 9 slots 19 under adownward pressure from the spring I), the belt B, and the roller 1),provided with means of adjusting its pressure, substantially asdescribed.

10. The combination of the frame A, the swinging frame b carryingrollers mounted therein, and a roller D, adapted to press upon thelatter and journaled in an independent frame hinged to the main body'ofthe machine at one side and secured at the other by a latch,substantially as described.

11. In a moistenin g device in a letter-copier, a belt B, passing overtwo rollers, one provided with means for pressing the copyingpaperevenly upon said belt and the other spirally grooved inboth directionsfrom the middle portion and geared to a speed greater than that of thebelt, substantially as described.

12. In a moistening device in a letter-copier, a belt B, passing overthe rollers I) b 19 the former bearing the grooves Z9 and being gearedto the roller 17 by means of the p'ulleys b b and the belt bsubstantially as described.

13. In a letter-copier, a moistening device. containing a swinging frame(9 carrying a wringing-roller b a belt B, stretched upon the rollersb 1) b the former bearing the groovesb and being geared to the roller b"by means of the pulleys 5 b and the belt b substantially as described.

EDXVARD \VICKEY. v

Witnesses:

H. BITNER, CHARLES SHEEVEY.

IIO

